


Life After Death

by knightofsuperior



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Fire Emblem: Awakening Spoilers, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Golden Deer Route Spoilers, Post-Canon, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:26:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21948799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knightofsuperior/pseuds/knightofsuperior
Summary: Dimitri and an unlikely companion ruminate on what life is about.You have a lot of time to do that when you're dead.
Relationships: Chrom/Sumia (Fire Emblem), Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Claude von Riegan, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan, Lucina/My Unit | Reflet | Robin
Comments: 2
Kudos: 103





	Life After Death

**Author's Note:**

> This is a Fire Emblem: Three Houses Secret Santa gift for @naturesass on Twitter! I greatly hope that you enjoy this-I played GD first and only recently started on Blue Lions, but watching friends go through the route and my own research gave me a lot of interest in seeing how Dimitri would handle the topic of his own demise (and play around with it as well).
> 
> Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and here's to even more great Fire Emblem games and content in the future!

_ Ethereal Moon _

_ 12/14, Alliance Year 0001 _

_ Gareg Mach Monastery _

_ \--- _

Seteth was used to the unexpected at this point.

Edelgard’s incursion and the Three Kingdoms’ War, the return of the Agarthans, the revival of Nemesis, even the marriage of Claude and Byle-

Well. No. That wasn’t unexpected. There were so many sparks between the two, it could well have caused an inferno if made manifest.

The conditions around that marriage, however, and Foldan’s new and unsteady peace with Almyra certainly was unexpected.

Even with all these turns and twists in mind, with all he had seen and lived through, with all of history to sift through and consider…

“...this world still finds ways to  **_baffle_ ** me, Flayn.” Seteth ran a hand through his hair, his words little more than mutterings. 

Behind him stood the door to his office. Normally, it was a space of peace and quiet, a refuge from all the stresses of administering the daily affairs of the United Fodlan Alliance. 

Today, however, it was a cell-a comfortable one, no doubt, compared to what its current occupant may have experienced in the past. 

He still couldn’t believe it.

“Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd. In the  **_flesh_ ** .” Not only that, but able to speak coherently. The last he’d heard, Dimitri had died a raving lunatic, obsessed with placing Edelgard’s head on a pike. The man he spoke to today, however, was quiet and contemplative, like Seteth remembered from his time at the Academy. He listened attentively as Seteth described what had occurred since...what happened. He shed few tears for Edelgard (at least, any he would be willing to share in front of Seteth), but appeared interested in the tale of their final battle against Nemesis. As for his former followers...

* * *

_ “So, the Professor and Claude brought about a new age...heh. If anyone could do it, I knew it would be them. What of my army?” _

_ “Folded into the Golden Deer.” _

_ “And my generals?” _

_ “The same. In fact, they were instrumental in the defeat of Those Who Slither in the Dark. Were it not for Mercedes and Ashe especially, Flayn would have...” Seteth paused. “I owe them a great deal, your highness.” _

_ “I see...I’m proud of them.” Dimitri smiled, his eyes (both of them, Seteth noted), glistening with tears. “I hope to see them again soon.” _

* * *

Fully healed in body, at least. He seemed...stable, far more so than previously recounted by Claude and Byleth. He spoke like a man who had aged twenty years in a day, recounting old memories with a sense of nostalgia and wistfulness. 

He could have been a fake. Some kind of construct, like Nemesis’ “Ten Elites.” It should have been  **_impossible_ ** , and yet he had no doubts in his mind. This  _ was _ King Dimitri.

...which raised its own issues.

“Truly, it is a glorious day!” Flayn clasped her hands together. “And to think, so close to his birthday as well! We should throw a celebration-I could ask the chefs to…” She paused at Seteth’s pained expression. “Is this not a blessing, Father?” she asked. “A gift from Sothis herself, even?”

“It could be.” Seteth frowned, his face growing more pallid. “It may also be a trial.”

“A trial?” Flayn put a hand to her chin. “In what way?”

Seteth’s brow furrowed. Walking away from the door and down the hall, with Flayn following close behind, he continued. “You recall my recent... _ discussions _ with the Faerghus Ressurection Alliance?”

Flayn nodded. The FRA was certainly vocal as of late. Ever since Byleth and Claude established the Alliance, a push for autonomy had been made by a variety of outfits (most stemming from the now occupied territories of Adrestia and Faerghus, with a few Leicester territories also following suit). After all, if Almyra were allowed to keep its independence, why not the rest of the continent? That was the logic, at least.

“Now, picture their dead king returning to them from beyond the grave...and discovering him to be in our custody.” Seteth stopped at the top of the stairwell. “They would consider this sacrilege, a sin beyond sins, even if sanctioned by the Church itself. They are a powder keg, Flayn-and this could be the spark that sets them off.”

Flayn closed her eyes, considering this. “I see your point...however, you worry too much, Father.” Opening them up, she glanced down the stairwell. “After all, we’ve managed to keep the peace thus far. After all he has been through, I doubt that Dimitri would wish for any more strife-particularly on his behalf.”

Seteth sighed. “Flayn, you have an unusual habit of being extremely positive, even in the worst possible circumstances.”

“I will take that as a compliment!”

Seteth, despite himself, grinned. “I hoped you would.” 

Flayn smiled, starting down the stairs with a pep in her step. “We should inform Claude and Byleth at once. Do you know where they are?”

“Speaking with Bernadetta regarding her manuscript. I hear it’s close to publication. They should be in her room at the moment.”

“Oh, I proofread that! It was a lovely story. I shall meet you there, Father!” Flayn sped onward, leaving Seteth to watch as she disappeared from view. He glanced back towards his office. Out of all the questions he had asked Dimitri, and all that was asked in return, one went unanswered.

How in the world did a dead man return to the realm of the living?

* * *

_ Day ??? _

_??? _

_??? _

\---

Dimitri opened his eyes. 

That was the first sign something was wrong.

After all, he should have only had the one.

On top of that, he had the ability  _ to _ open them.

This was...wrong.

He had felt each and every blade bring his life to an end, the cold steel ripping through flesh and cracking bone.

He was  _ dead. _ Killed by the minions of that monstrous,  _ foul-hearted,  _ **_despicable-_ **

“There're better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know,” a velvety voice rung out. Dimitri snapped to attention, his eyes darting side to side as footsteps grew closer. 

“Who goes there?!”

“Not much of a place to go,” the voice muttered. “Behind you, by the way.”

Dimitri reached for Areadbhar. He grasped at air. Turning towards the sound of the voice, he snarled. “Where did you take it?” he demanded. “Where did you take  _ me? _ ”

“I did nothing, friend.” Dimitri’s eyes narrowed as a young man dressed in a mage’s outfit, with hair pale as fallen snow, came to a stop in front of him. “The name’s Robin. It’s nice to meet-”

“Where are my weapons?” Dimitri repeated. “Tell me now lest I wrest your head from your neck directly.”

“Calm thoughts could serve you well,” Robin muttered. “This place is...not one where we are able to keep what we carried, let’s say. At least, that’s as far as I’ve been able to tell.”

“This place?” Dimitri growled, a guttural sound that caused the stranger to back up ever-so-slightly. “You act as though you don’t know it yourself.”

“Well, of course.” The man shrugged as if it were plain as day. “It’s hard to really know how  _ death  _ works, isn’t it?”

* * *

_ Day 34 _

_ Year 1 _

_ Death’s Doorstep? _

\---

Robin was a strange companion.

Few would dare to talk to a king the way he did, so casual and cavalier. He was always in the midst of some kind of research, experimenting with the boundaries of their new “home” and attempting to understand how it worked. Despite the fact that he did not "bring" any documents or notebooks with him, he somehow managed to conjure them. When asked, Robin merely admitted "it felt like I should have them." Dimitri understood vaguely that in his life, he was some manner of tactician, but it still baffled him. This was no battlefield. This was no war zone, meant to be understood.

This was death. 

The end.

Dimitri didn’t believe Robin’s declaration at first. Death was supposed to be naught but the act itself, and then either heaven or hell. That was the teaching of the Church, at least.

Certainly, the concept of purgatory came up in religious fiction (it was the subject of one of his favorite novels,  _ Eternity Found _ ). But that was far from canon to the teachings...right?

One other detail made it hard for him to accept this as reality.

He had been hearing the dead since he was a child, shouting in his head for vengeance and blood.

If this truly were a place where the dead wait to be judged, where they yet still “lived”...

...then where were they?

Where was his family?

Why were the voices  **_still in his head?_ **

Dimitri knew the answer.

And yet, even still, he hoped.

* * *

_ Day 157 _

_ Year 2 _

_ Death’s Doorstep _

\---

Something occurred to Dimitri as Robin was detailing his latest findings (something or another about how, as “souls,” they don’t need to eat, which only served to make Dimitri realize how hungry he was). 

Dimitri had never asked Robin how he got here.

Well, he hadn’t asked Robin much. He’d sat silently as the tactician babbled on, preferring the sound of his prattle to nothing at all.

Still, once the thought was there, it bubbled up. And up. And up.

Until, eventually, it popped.

“How?” Robin tapped his chin. “It’s an easy answer, but it might be hard to believe.”

“Try me.” Dimitri raised an eyebrow. “Was it one of Edelgard’s soldiers? Or perhaps a brigand?”

“...I’m sorry,” Robin admitted, “But I have no idea who you’re talking about.”

Dimitri paused. “...Edelgard von Hresvelg,” he clarified. “The Emperor of Adrestia.”

Robin shook his head. “Never heard of her or it.”

Dimitri’s eyes widened. “Were you raised on a continent outside of Fodlan?”

“I presume so, as I’ve never heard tell of a Fodeland.”

Despite himself, Dimitri couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. Robin’s bluntness felt...familiar.

* * *

_ “So you’re saying it’s not pronounced Fair-geese?” _

_ “C’mon, Teach, cut the guy some slack. He’s probably heard it pronounced wrong all his life.” _

_ “Claude, do not teach her such foolishness-” _

* * *

“It’s...not pronounced that way.” 

“I see.” Robin crossed his arms. “Well, perhaps this will convince you: I died fighting a Fell Dragon. You don’t have those in Fodeland, do you?”

Dimitri stared at him for a moment.

He thought back to the siege of Gareg Mach.

"...I believe we have just the one."

**_“...what.”_ **

* * *

_ Day 359 _

_ Year 3 _

_ Death’s Doorstep _

\---

Dimitri was a strange companion.

Robin had managed to learn this twice.

The first time was when they first met. Far from his fellows at the Shepherds (well, maybe Tharja notwithstanding), he seemed...volatile. While his friends were never truly the peaceful type, very rarely had Robin met someone with such utter malice in his heart.

Something had clearly happened to him on his way to this place-which, by the point they met, he had already spent about...sweet Naga, it was about seven years to the day. He wondered when he would run out of pages in his journal.

Robin had been content to wait, reading through his writings time and time again, imagining different outcomes for familiar battles and reminiscing about good times and friends. 

Now, though? Now that there was someone else in this strange other-worldly space?

That warranted investigation.

As such, for the past two years, he had been doing his due diligence to truly understand this world. After all, while he may have been fine with waiting-he knew he’d make it back to Chrom and Lissa one day, after all-he did not quite understand the circumstances that brought Dimitri here. 

That  _ fascinated _ him.

What fascinated him more?

When the fellow finally spoke.

Oh, the words he had to share.

A land of three kingdoms, with intrigue and mystery to spare. A king and his knights, under the banner of the Blue Lion, brought low by a villainous fiend. Allies, in the form of a mysterious mercenary and a shifty strategist (one whom Robin immediately felt an affinity towards, given the man’s supposed propensity for pulling off masterful schemes). Friends to the end, traitors in their midst, and a larger conspiracy besides-at least, from what Dimitri claimed to know. It was all so  _ curious. _

He noted that Dimitri felt oddly...intimate with the details, and a few theories sprang up in the tactician’s mind as a result. Was he one of the knights of Faerghus, following his king to the end? Was he the king himself, driven mad by the machinations of those around him? Or was he simply an observer, trying to survive in a world gone mad?

Whichever it was, Dimitri wasn’t keen to tell the whole story. He dodged questions with the deftness of a trained assassin, only offering tales in exchange for Robin’s own. Robin had been more than happy to share-after all, he wrote his stories in a journal for a reason. He wasn’t exactly keen on losing any more memories, all things considered. Dimitri rarely believed him at first. The more he said it aloud, the thought of fighting alongside time travellers to fight an ancient evil while saving a country did sound fairly ridiculous. Despite this, Dimitri listened as if Robin’s words were gospel, his eyes sparkling in wonder and curiosity.

Despite the lack of an equivalent exchange, he was content to let Dimitri go at his own pace.

That was, until, something cracked in his fellow’s wall.

* * *

_ Day 75 _

_ Year 5 _

_ Death’s Doorstep _

\---

“Did you ever fall in love?” Dimitri asked. Robin raised an eyebrow. After asking about Dimitri’s eye-scratching habit (apparently, when he was alive, he lost the damned thing? Intriguing.), that was not the question he was expecting in return. “In your lifetime, that is.”

“You’re presuming you haven’t won me over with your charms?” Robin teased, earning a snort from his compatriot. “Well...I suppose you could say that I have.” Robin laid down on his back, staring up at the inky void above. “It’s hard not to garner feelings for someone when you’ve fought alongside them for so long.”

“Was it Chrom?” Dimitri asked. “He seems the charming type, from what you offered.”

“As much as I wish I could say yes,” Robin chuckled, “He found his own love in Sumia. You know-the Pegasus Knight?”

“Ah, yes. You mentioned her exploits during the war against the Plegians.”

“Right. They ended up falling for each other between then and when everything involving Grima came up. I ended up having a lovely relationship with his daughter, though, so I think I got back at him just fine.” Dimitri sputtered, and Robin couldn’t hold back his laughter. “It’s not as bad as it sounds!” Robin exclaimed.

“I’m sure your fearless leader would disagree in some capacity.”

“He did threaten to throw me off a bridge once, but he was joking.” Robin paused. “Hopefully. In any case, he and Sumia make a lovely couple. Childhood friends win in the end, I suppose.”

“That’s not always the case,” Dimitri replied, his voice cold.

Robin glanced at him. “Oh?” he asked, in the tone he would use to ask Chrom to spill the details on an embarrassing Frederick story.

“I...fell in love once, as a child,” Dimitri continued, his words measured and carefully chosen. “A girl, as kind as the Goddess herself. We had many escapades together, exploring my new home after...an incident. She taught me how to dance. I…” He paused. “Hm. I gave her a knife.”

“Truly, a romance for the ages,” Robin drawled. He grinned at Dimitri’s own repressed smirk.

“Well, it seemed like a thoughtful gift at the time. However...I met her again, years later.” Dimitri turned away. “She did not recall a thing. Not our dances, not our adventures. Not even myself.”

“I...I’m sorry. That must have been rough.”

Dimitri shrugged. “I can’t deny it was. I thought, all the same, that would be the end of it. A fleeting love, to be forgotten with the sands of time.” Dimitri clenched his fist, his face contorting into that old growl that Robin thought was long gone (he hadn’t seen it for a year, at least). “Then, I uncovered some...unfortunate truths. That love I felt, even the memory of it, turned to ash and cinder. Hatred bubbled up inside of me, for years and years, until…” He sighed. “It was a fruitless endeavor, in the end. All the time I spent thinking about her, when-” He stopped, choking back a sob.

Robin was silent for a moment. “I don’t recall who said it, but...it is better to have loved and lost,” he replied, “Than never to have loved at all.”

Dimitri stared at the ground, unresponsive. 

“Dimitri?”

“...that’s just it, Robin.” He turned, his eyes welling up with tears. “I did love again. It was so damned  **_obvious._ ** I just didn’t realize it until it was too late.”

Robin could feel the pieces start to click together. The wistful looks he gave when discussing his classmates and teachers...well, one particular classmate and one particular teacher, at least. 

Sitting back up, Robin shuffled closer to Dimitri, and put a hand on his shoulder. Dimitri jumped slightly at the contact, but did not move to reject it. 

It was silent for a moment.

“You’ve been through a lot,” Robin eventually replied. “You’re due for a good cry if you need it.”

And so, the dam broke.

Placing his head in his hands, Dimitri let the tears flow. Years and years of suffering, all filtering through his fingers like raindrops. “I miss them so much,” Dimitri choked out. “They understood. They saw the darkness in me, and they didn’t turn back. They wanted to help me. I heard them during the fighting, through the roaring of the flames and the endless dead littering our paths. And yet, I refused to listen. All I wanted was to see Edelgard’s cold, lifeless body. The only people who truly knew me were there, within feet of me, and  **_I wished them dead._ ** ” 

He wailed. For the first time in years, he simply wailed.

“I want to tell them I’m sorry! I wanted to tell them how much they mean to me, how little Edelgard matters, how I want to spend my remaining days in this Goddess-forsaken world with them. But the voices just couldn’t stop. The dead needed their due! They-”

“Dimitri.” Robin slung an arm around his shoulder, flipping through one of his journals with his free hand. “You owe more to the living than you do the dead-and I’m certain those you lost would want naught but the best for you.” Clearing his throat, he read from the journal.  _ “A leader must never rest, never surrender, and most of all, never stop learning.” _

Dimitri let out a hoarse laugh, his eyes falling onto the journal. “Is that another Chrom-ism?”

“Yes. But he’s not wrong.” Robin slammed the book shut. “You got the first two down-you clearly were determined to do whatever it took to protect your own, and you refused to back down in the face of certain defeat.” Turning towards Dimitri, he offered a fierce glare. “Now, tell me what you’ve learned.”

Dimitri paused, closing his eyes for a moment. Then…

“There is more to life than appeasing death.” Despite his tears still flowing freely, despite the pain and anguish in his heart, he couldn’t help but smile. “I don't know if I'll ever be able to truly escape my past. I still hear the voices. And yet...yet, still, there is always more.”

Robin grinned. “And that’s three for three.” He sighed, standing up and stretching his arms out. “You know, it’s a shame you weren’t born a Ylissean, Dimitri. We would have loved to have you in the Shepherds. I’m sure you’d get along with the others.”

“Heh. The same to you, Robin.” Dimitri followed suit, wiping the tears from his eyes. “If you were merely born a man of Faerghus, perhaps you would have led me on a true and righteous path.”

“Or I could have turned into a dragon and caused more problems,” Robin countered. 

Dimitri blanched. “Despite everything, I  _ still _ find that hard to believe.”

“Oh, so you believe in time travel now but not that?”

“I never said-”

Dimitri stopped, staring straight behind Robin. 

There was a door, shining as bright as the morning sun.

“...was that always there?”

“Funny. I was about to ask the same.” Robin gestured over Dimitri’s shoulder. Turning, he saw another door.

“Well...I suppose that’s our cue,” Robin suggested.

“Do you truly believe that's all we have to do? Go through a door?” 

Robin shrugged. “I’ve seen stranger, as have you.”

Dimitri chuckled. “I suppose.” He held out a hand. “Thank you, Robin, for keeping death an engaging experience for me.”

Robin took Dimitri’s hand, shaking it firmly. “Likewise. Should my writings survive wherever this trip takes me next, rest assured that the tale of Dimitri, the King of the Blue Lions, will go down in Ylissean history.”

“As will the tale of the Shepherds of Ylisse, and their victory against the Fell Dragon Grima.” Dimitri stroked his chin. “Though, that will depend on if we remember any of this at all.”

“I’d be hard-pressed to forget something like this. Then again,” Robin admitted, “I don’t have the best track record with these sort of things.”

“We’ll hope for the best, then.”

With that, the two gave each other a bow, turning towards their respective doors.

The doors creaked as they opened.

The two stepped inside, and the doors slammed shut, vanishing into the void as the darkness reclaimed its domain.

* * *

_ Ethereal Moon _

_ 12/14, Alliance Year 0001 _

_ Gareg Mach Monastery _

\---

Dimitri only vaguely recalled what happened after that, though it was a miracle he recalled anything at all. He remembered the scent of fresh grass at Gronder Field, the sensation of being carried on horseback...and then he was in Seteth’s office, which looked just like he remembered it from his school days. He was grateful to remember what he did-after hearing Robin’s description of amnesia, he certainly wasn’t looking forward to experiencing anything similar.

Not that he’d know if he had…

Seteth and Flayn were fine hosts, even if he was essentially a prisoner. He smiled, remembering the look on Flayn’s face when he devoured the meal she had prepared for him. Part of it was that hunger-he hadn’t eaten in five years, but to Flayn and Seteth, he presumed it looked similar to someone who had only been hungry for a few months.

He still had trouble actually tasting the food, but...in a different way than before. Rather than not receiving any taste whatsoever, it was as though his taste buds had grown anew, overloading his senses. Dimitri presumed he would find out how true that held over the next few months.

Hm. He actually had to think about the future now. He had spent so much time looking back on the past, it was difficult for him to picture what came next. Standing up from his chair (Seteth had been kind enough to allow him full use of his desk), Dimitri moved to look out the window.

The door to Seteth’s office slammed open.

“Dimitri!”

“No way…it’s really you!”

Dimitri barely had time to react as he was tackled from behind, nearly slammed straight into the windowsill. He recognized the voices instantly, and a smile crossed his face. Tilting his head ever-so-slightly, he looked into two pairs of eyes: one green, and one blue. “It’s certainly been some time, hasn’t it, you two?” Dimitri asked, his own eyes beginning to well up.

“Really?  _ That’s _ your _‘I’ve returned from beyond the grave to make my grand return’_ line?” Claude asked, his tears belying the chiding tone in his voice.

“Welcome back,” Byleth replied, cutting right to the chase. “We’ve missed you.”

Wrapping his arms around the two, Dimitri closed his eyes. “That makes three of us, then.”

He didn’t know what was next. He didn’t know where this would go.

But Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd knew, no matter what, he would never be alone again.

* * *

_??? _

_ ~2611, Archanaean Calendar _

_ Ylisse _

\---

Robin placed his pen back into the inkwell, dipping it carefully. Chrom peered over his left shoulder, Sumia on his right.

“ _ The Roar of the Blue Lions, _ ” Chrom read aloud. “That’s what you ended up going with?”

“I feel it embodies the tale well,” Robin replied. “Sorry I’m not using  _ The Blade of Blaiddyd. _ Perhaps in the next volume.”

“You’d better keep to that,” Sumia replied. “Chrom was so proud when he came up with that one-he was talking about it for days.”

Chrom blushed, waving a hand in the air. “I wasn’t that proud!”

“Sure you weren’t.”

Robin chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep it in mind. We’ll see if this sells, however.”

“Given the thousands of copies your biography on our adventures sold?” Chrom shook his head. “Robin, the question isn’t if, but how well.”

Robin shrugged. “It’s my first foray into fiction. You never know.”

“Have a little confidence at least…” Chrom sighed. “Well, in any case, dinner will be ready shortly.”

“Sounds good-who’s cooking?”

“Lissa.”

“Sounds  _ very _ good, then, compared to last night.”

Chrom scoffed. “I didn’t do that poorly.”

Standing up from his seat, Robin chuckled. “The burn marks in the tent say otherwise.” 

As the two bickered their way out of Robin’s quarters, Sumia looked at the dedication Robin had just placed on the manuscript’s second page. 

**To Chrom, Lucina, the Shepherds...and Dimitri, whom this story would not be possible without.**


End file.
